I drew from various points of inspiration for this piece, starting with it being the year of the dog on the Chinese Zodiac. The dog is red, like Clifford, the big red dog from school storybooks, and adapted to look like a Labradoodle, which I’ve sometimes considered as my totem animal. Dogs in general to me are creatures of play and protection, and I like them because they demand fun if you want to make them happy and are loyal companions. Mixed in its fur are Japanese paper cranes and flowers symbolizing peace. There’s rain in the background because I live in the Pacific Northwest of the North American continent, where it rains a lot.
emilia kallock 